


Tainted Dreams

by IcyStarlight



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Canon is there at the end, Don't ask me about the medical conditions I made them up, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hospitalized Characters, Loosely based off of Rakuen, Magic, Really this is all a weird dream, Spoilers for Dezel that I'm sorry about
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 13:35:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15316602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyStarlight/pseuds/IcyStarlight
Summary: Sorey has spent his life in the hospital. He's made lots of friends over the years in Zestiria hospital's small special care wing, but one day everything changes when his sister, Lailah, lets him in on a secret. Unlocking the secret world from his favorite book, a whole new adventure appears. Together with his friends and his sister at his side, can they save those who no longer have any hope?





	Tainted Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is loosely based off the steam game "Rakuen" which is great and I recommend it, but you don't need to know anything about the game or have played it to understand this fic. I just wanted to let people know this fic idea came from another source of inspiration.
> 
> That being said I hope u enjoy! UwU
> 
> Also I didn't really proofread this again once I finished so I apologize for any mistakes!

_You can’t stop it. The calamity will spread further and further. There’s no saving yourself, you’ll be all alone in the end. Your friends won’t be able to save you. No one will be able to save you. Give in shepherd, give in to the sickness._

_“Sorey!”_

_“Sorey wake up!”_

_“Come on kid!”_

_“Sorey please!”_

_Just you wait shepherd, your time will soon be up._

“Sorey!” 

Opening his eyes, Sorey found his older sister Lailah leaning over him with a worried face. That wasn’t good. Were his test results bad again? “Huh?”

“Are you okay Sorey? You seemed like you were having a bad dream.” Lailah said softly as she brushed the hair out of his eyes. 

“I’m fine Lailah! I don’t remember a thing!” he made sure to give her a big smile to prove himself. He really didn’t remember his dream, only that he kept having it. It was really strange, but he didn’t want his sister to worry anymore than she already did. She had a lot on her plate working, doing her online courses, and still finding time to come visit him. He was really happy she came to visit but he didn’t want her to wear herself out just for his sake. She was already doing so much for him. 

Lailah didn’t look like she believed him but backed off regardless. She let him eat breakfast as she checked her phone. When he was done she asked, “So Sorey, do you want to go an adventure today?”

“An adventure? What kind of adventure?” he wondered what kind of adventure they could go on. He couldn’t leave the hospital so what could they do?

“An adventure with your favorite book of course. It’s a family secret passed down through generations. When the book is matched with the family heirloom, the secret door to another world will appear.” Lailah pulled the celestial record off his bedside and pulled a strange looking glove from her purse as she explained. The symbol on the white glove matched the one on the celestial record and it looked extra cool with the feathers hanging off of it. Like something a hero would wear! 

“Really? Can we go together?” he asked excited. That would be amazing! He hadn’t been able to play with his sister in a long time. The hospital didn’t like them running around, more so him because of his illness, “What about my illness though, won’t that ruin it?” 

“Oh Sorey,” Lailah pulled him into a hug, “That won’t be an issue in the secret world, you’ll be a healthy boy there.” 

“Then let’s go! Come on Lailah!” he pushed himself out of bed but Lailah stopped him.

“Sorey wait! You need to wear the glove to uncover the door.” she held out the glove and he put it on. He was surprised it fit his smaller hand, it had looked so big a second ago. Holding out his new gloved hand he accepted Lailah’s hand, “Okay now let’s go find the secret world!” 

It was always strange leaving his hospital room. His floor wing was small, there were only so many people on it each needing a different specialized care. Dr. Mayvin oversaw most of the patients here. The room on the left of his was Gramps. Sorey didn’t know his real name, only the name Mikleo, Gramps’ grandson, used when he came to visit. Mikleo was his best friend in the whole world but he could only come on the weekends when school wasn’t happening. Today was thursday, so in two days Mikleo would be here. He couldn’t wait to tell Mikleo about the secret world! The room on the right of his wasn’t in use currently. Maybe the secret door would be there? 

Across the hall he saw Alisha enter Rose’s room. Alisha was the daughter of the hospital’s owner and she liked to volunteer here. She became good friends with Rose and on tuesdays and thursdays they would have girl days. He asked what they did once but Rose said it was a secret. Rose was a patient here, just like him her body was weak too. Though it was her heart in particular, she was waiting on a donor so she could go back to living a normal life. He hoped she got a new heart soon. There was hope she could recover and he wanted that for her. 

The room across from his was Mr. Eizen’s room. He was a coma patient whose little sister always came to visit. Edna was funny and always told him jokes. Mikleo said he didn’t like her because she made fun of him, but Sorey knew it was all in good fun because Mikleo teased her right back. Edna’s current guardian, Zaveid, would always kiss Lailah’s hand if he saw her and Sorey thought he was strange. That was something Edna and Mikleo agreed on too. 

The last room across the hall was just a storage closet. He hid there once with mikleo when they played hide and seek but then they’d gotten in trouble. When Rose was feeling better she would sneak out in the middle of the night and leave him letters in there. She never got caught because the nurses station faced his side of the hall. Nurse Seregi would always bring her the letters he wrote back to her when she wasn’t feeling well enough for visitors. Sometimes Edna would use the closet to sneak them snacks they normally wouldn’t get to have. He was pretty sure the nurses knew, but they never stopped them. 

Walking up to the empty room, he tried to open the door and was surprised to find it locked. He looked at Lailah who merely shrugged. Okay so maybe he’d check the other rooms. He opened the door to Gramps room and found the man sleeping. That meant he had to be extra quiet. He knew there was a storage closet in Gramps room, maybe someone left an extra key back there? 

No such luck. He entered the hall again where Lailah waited for him and gently closed the door behind him. Well now what? Rose’s room was off limits, last time he tried to enter girls day he got yelled at so that left Eizen’s room. 

Opening the door he was surprised to see Zaveid there without Edna. They always came together or Edna would come alone. He’d never seen Zaveid here alone. Zaveid looked up when they entered and moved from his position where he was leaning against the wall so he was crouched down to the same height as Sorey, “My lady Lailah, what brings you and the squirt here?” 

“I’m not a squirt! And we’re on an adventure!” 

“An adventure huh? Whatcha looking for?” Zaveid messed up his hair when he asked and he pushed the hand away.

“It’s a secret! But we need into the locked room next to mine and I can’t find the key.”

Standing up, Zaveid looked away from Sorey to Lailah, “The locked room huh? Did you ask the nurses?” 

“Like they would give us the key to it. We were hoping one of them dropped an extra or something, did you see anything?” Lailah questioned. 

“No, but I could get the key for you. The must keep it right behind the counter at the nurse’s station.”

“Really you could get it!?” He butt in, bouncing around from one foot to the other.

“And how exactly do you plan to get the key Zaveid?” Lailah sounded skeptical at the idea. 

“You doubt my charming skills Lailah, you wound me so.” Zaveid fake fainted, throwing an arm dramatically across his head. 

“Well, what are you waiting for?” he asked impatiently tugging at Zaveid’s pants.

“Will the fair lady award me a kiss if I succeed?” 

“If you manage to not only get the key but then distract the nurses while we enter the locked room, then sure.”

“You drive a hard deal Lailah.”

“You gotta work hard to be rewarded Zaveid.” 

“Fine, fine wait here, I’ll get the key.” 

Sorey didn’t know what just happened but Zaveid left to get the key so it was okay. A few minutes later Zaveid came back. He had spent the time admiring the cool glove Lailah had given him. Zaveid entered the room and handed him the keycard, “Alright here’s the key, head over to the room and wait til I start my distraction to open the door.”

“Thanks Zaveid!” 

“No problem squirt,” Zaveid messed up his hair again then mock saluted Lailah, “I’ll be waiting for my reward later Lailah.” 

Lailah rolled her eyes at Zaveid, “Alright, come on Sorey, let’s go.”

They waited over by the locked door and Lailah unlocked it once Zaveid started yelling. Slipping into the room, he was surprised to find the open curtains lighting up the room and not a speck of dust to be found. There was a strange looking door over in the back of the room. Walking over, he grabbed the door handle and tried to open it but it wouldn’t budge.

“Sorey, try your other hand.”

“Right the glove!” Grabbing the door handle with his gloved hand, he tried to open the door, surprised at how easy it opened. 

Beyond the door was a bright light, he didn’t want to step through it. This was just like his nightmares. He’d go through the white light and never come back. He felt something grab his hand and looked up to Lailah who smiled sadly at him, “We’ll go through together okay?”

Nodding, he let her guide him into a new world.

 

The other side of the door opened up through the side of a mountain. Down in the valley was a large lake and in the middle sat the prettiest town he ever saw. It was amazing. The sun reflected off the water through the gaps between the mountains surrounding it. The other side of valley had a small town against the lake where he could see tons and tons of open fields. This was amazing. He’d never felt sun this warm on his skin before! The air was nice and clean too! The gentle breeze made the wild flowers on the hill sway in the wind in front of them. He couldn’t help but stare in awe. It was like out of a story. Wait! He knew this town! This was Ladylake! It was in the celestial record! 

“Recognize this Sorey?” Lailah asked him.

“It’s Ladylake! This is amazing Lailah! Is this real?” He waved his arms around excitedly. Oh man if this was Ladylake then he wanted to go explore right away. Who knew what he could find down there! Maybe he could find the sword of legend.

“Of course it’s real, do you want to go see it up close?”

“YES!”

 

Ladylake was amazing. There was so much happening, all the people bustling about. It was even better than reading about it! Everything was just like in the celestial record! That meant in the chapel, there’d be the legendary shepherd's sword! He ran halfway there until Lailah told him to slow down and watch out for the townsfolk so then he walked the rest of the way with her, swinging their hands back and forth between them. 

The chapel was amazing. Stained glass windows painted the story just like in the celestial record. The shepherd coming and drawing the sword then together with the mystical seraphim, driving away the malevolence of the land and defeating the lord of calamity. The fabled sword sat in stone in the middle of the chapel. This was the sword the famous shepherd used to save the world. Even seeing it was amazing. 

A group of knights sat around the edge of the balcony, he had to listen closely but he could hear them talking about a monster of calamity rampaging in a village up in the mountains. The people of the village had evacuated but unless someone could pull the sword it would never be stopped. They laughed about though, saying that it was impossible. 

This made him mad. Had anyone even tried to help those people and defeat the monster? Had anyone even thought to try and pull the sword? How could they just sit there and laugh about it when people were suffering? 

Walking over he stood in front of the sword. He at least had to try! He could hear the knights laughing and making fun of him. He had to though! Who else… who else would try to be someone else’s hero? 

A comforting hand was placed on his back and he turned to face Lailah. She smiled at him, “Go on, I know you can do it.” 

With the encouragement, he reached out and placed his hands on the swords hilt. Grabbing it as tight as he could, he used all the strength he could muster and yanked upwards. The sword came out a lot easier than he expected it to and he nearly fell over. Thankfully Lailah was there to catch him when he fell. 

Holding the sword up, it was lighter than it seemed when it had been stuck in the stone. It looked smaller too, but maybe that was because it was a magic sword and he was smaller so it matched him now. Mikleo was never gonna believe this! 

“Hey you guys, where’s this town the monster is destroying?” he shouted up to the knights who had gone silent, mouths wide open since he pulled the sword. Hehe, served them right. 

“Up in the northeastern mountains, there’s a sign that will point to Elysia.” one of the knights answered hesitantly, “Um, you’re not actually going to fight it are you?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I drew the sword didn’t I?” he swung the sword back and forth a little. He never got to show off before, this was kinda fun.

“Uh, yes, um, okay. Good luck kid.” the knight stuttered out with a quick salute. 

“Thanks!” waving goodbye he grabbed Lailah’s hand as they left, turning back he yelled out over his shoulder to the knights, “And you should tell your friends to close their mouths before they catch flies!”

 

Elysia was a bit of a trek but he didn’t feel tired at all! Lailah walked slowly up the mountain but he didn’t care because it gave him time to explore as they walked. He’d never gotten to explore outside like this before. The wind in his hair. The sun on his back. The birds in the sky. The green of the grass and the smell of the wild flowers. 

It was amazing. He wished he could experience this all the time. What would it be like to play games outside? To read outside? What would it be like to play kickball at recess with other kids his age? To explore the world instead of just the world of books? Maybe on day he’d get to see it…

Elysia was breathtaking. Tucked up on a mountain it was literally a village in the clouds. Though it probably had seen better days. Some of the stone houses had been half crushed. Debris and stone lay scattered all across what looked to be the village square if the crumbled remains of what looked to be a fountain in the middle was anything to go by. 

Lailah quickly tugged him behind one of the walls of a house as something very large and furry prowled around the center of the town ahead of them. Woah, it was huge! It looked like a really large cat… The big white lion monster had trails of black steam looking stuff floating off of it. That must be the malevolence the celestial record talked about. The darkness that would poison people’s souls. The monster cat seemed to be looking for something. It walked around sniffing the air and ground. Searching high and low like it was playing hide and seek with someone. There! There was a boy across the way tucked inside one of the half crushed houses. Wait a minute that looked like.. “MIKLEO!” 

“Sorey wait!” Ignoring Lailah’s call, he ran across the square over to Mikleo. His best friend was here too! 

He’d forgotten about the monster cat.

It growled at him. He froze mid step and stared at it. It pawed at the ground and charged. He screamed, “AHHHH!”

Suddenly a stream of water blasted the side of the monster cat and knocked it away from him. Mikleo ran up to him and dragged off into the shelter of the crushed houses. Sorey was thrilled to see Mikleo, but Mikleo didn’t look that thrilled to see him, “You idiot! Are you trying to get us killed? That monster almost ate Mason already, it doesn’t need to hurt anyone else.” 

“Woah, Mikleo what was that?” he asked looking back to the puddle of water on the ground.

Mikleo stared at him confused, “You’ve never seen magic before?” 

“You can do magic? THAT’S SO COOL!” 

“Sorey look out!” Lailah called out from the other side of the square. Her call was too late but the burst of fire that flew from her hands wasn’t. 

Sorey stared at her while she stared at her hands confused before he yelled out, “What Lailah! YOU CAN DO MAGIC TOO? How come everyone but me has magic!” 

“Less talking, more fighting!” Mikleo shoved him to the side as the monster cat took a swipe at them. Woah, when had it gotten back up? 

He pulled the sword from where it hung on his back, okay time to test this baby out. Ducking under another swipe he swung up with the sword. The monster dodged his swipe and jumped back out into the square. Not giving it time to regroup, he charged forward swinging. 

He didn’t know how, but he knew what to do. Swing short, lunge wide, parry left, left, right. He was sword fighting. How did he know how to do this? He let himself move on autopilot. Not giving second thought to what he did. He knew how to fight, He knew how to fight alongside Mikleo and Lailah without getting in each other's way. It was strange, but it felt normal. It felt like this is what he should’ve been doing.  
It’s not long before they managed to cornered the monster cat. He knows that there’s two options here, go in for the kill or …….., he doesn’t know his second option. He knows there’s a second option. He can feel it, dancing just out of his reach. But he doesn’t know what it is. Why can’t he remember? He doesn’t know if he can even do it but he has to try. 

Gripping his sword tighter, he grits his teeth and stabs at the monster’s heart.

“SOREY NO!” he can hear Mikleo scream at him, but this has to work! 

It was like unwinding thread from a spool. As if the monster was never there in a first place. The sword struck the monster’s heart but it didn’t kill it. With a flash of white light, streams of darkness poured off the monster into the sword. When the light and darkness cleared, the monster was gone. In its place was a familiar face, Gramps. 

“Gramps!” Mikleo cried and surged forward to give the man a hug. As soon as Mikleo touches the man they both disappear in a golden light.

“MIKLEO! GRAMPS!” He tries to reach them before they vanish but suddenly its really hard to stand. His vision blurs and its harder to breathe. 

“Sorey!” Lailah is there, pulling him off the ground. Huh? When had he gotten there? “Sorey, stay with me! Sorey!” 

The last thing he can see, is the brilliant sun overhead, more so warm and blinding outside than through a window. It’s an amazing sight. It wouldn’t be so bad, if it was his last.

 

_That’s right sheperd. You can’t bear the burden. You’ll never be able to save them all. You will fall into the corruption before you will ever truly see the end. Let the sickness take you sheperd. Let the malevolence guide you._

 

“..hha!” panting he tries to shake off the feeling of dread in his chest. It was just a dream. That was just a dream. It was just a dream. His room is dark and the curtains are drawn. Lailah must’ve brought him back to the real world. He hoped he hadn’t worried her too much! The fight had been really tiring, he hadn’t expected it. 

He didn’t want to go back to bed. If he did, he’d have that dream again. Right now, the darkness in his room was overwhelming. He could get a nurse to stay with him, but that would interrupt their jobs and then he would feel bad. Also he didn’t like the pity some of them gave him. So Rose’s room it was. She had an extra bed in her room. Then he wouldn’t be alone anymore. There problem solved. Now he just had to actually get there without being caught by the nurses. That was going to be tough. 

Slipping out of bed, he kept his footsteps as quiet as he could. He slid the door open a little, watching for anyone who might be watching his room. To his surprise he couldn’t see anyone. Opening the door wider, he was shocked. There was no one at the nurses station. That meant now was his chance! 

Quickly he slipped out, making sure to close the door behind him. He ran around behind the nurses station away from the hallway and slipped into Rose’s room. Thankfully he didn’t wake her up as he entered. Making sure he couldn’t hear any footsteps in the hallway, he finally relaxed. Climbing up into the extra bed he burrowed under the covers. 

At some point in the early morning he’s awoken by someone picking him up and moving him back to his own room. He doesn’t remember who it was, quickly falling back asleep yet again. He doesn’t have anymore dreams.

 

The next time he wakes up Lailah is at his bedside like usual. “Good morning Sorey.”

He smiles at her, “Good morning Lailah,” she doesn’t smile back right away so he grips the sheets between his hands and apologizes, “I’m sorry for scaring you yesterday.”

“Oh Sorey, you didn’t scare me, you just surprised me is all. Anyone would be tired after such a fight, I sure was but I’m more used to physical activity than you.” She lays a hand over his still gloved hand. When he looks up she smiles at him. 

“Hehe, maybe it was a little much.” 

Shaking her head, she pauses for a moment before speaking again, “By the way, there’s something you’ll want to see.”

“What? What do I want to see?” he asks bouncing up and down slightly in bed.

“Up up up, after you eat breakfast. Eat slowly now, it won’t be going anywhere while you do.” Lailah puts her hands on his shoulders. When he’s stopped bouncing she give him his breakfast tray. He eats slowly under her watchful eye, only stuffing in more food when she looks away for a minute. 

“Okay I’m done! Let’s go Lailah!” Setting his tray on his bedside, he slides out of bed, and pulls on her hand.

“Okay, Sorey. Let’s go see the miracle you created.” She smiles at him and leads him into the hallway.

“Huh? Miracle? I created?” he’s confused by this, what now? What did he do?

Lailah merely laughs a little as she pats his head, “You’ll understand when you see it.” 

She doesn’t lead him to the secret world like he thought she would, instead she leads him right next door to Gramps’ room. She knocks on the door before entering. The first thing that greets him isn’t Gramps or one of the nurses, its Mikleo.

“Sorey! Sorey! Gramps is okay now! He’s all better!” Mikleo rushes over grabbing his free hand. He’s practically shouting at him, but it’s okay because its only Mikleo. 

“Quiet down Mikleo you’ll disturb the other patients.” Mikleo’s mom chimes in from the couch under the window where she sits. He waves at her and she smiles at him. 

“Sorry Mom.” Mikleo apologizes but the quickly captures all of Sorey’s attention again with his excited rambling, “But Sorey, Gramps recovered all his missing memories! He remembers who we are now! It’s a miracle!”

It takes him a minute to piece together exactly what Mikleo is talking about, but when he does he can’t help but echo his friend’s excitement, “Woah! That’s great Mikleo!” 

Gramps was in the hospital for memory problems. Sorey didn’t know what it was called in medical terms but Gramps couldn’t remember a lot of different things. Like when he was born or where he grew up. On the really bad days, he didn’t even remember Mikleo or Mikleo’s mom. It was really sad. Once Mikleo told him that there was no way Gramps would ever get better enough to come back home. Yet, now, it was as if that had all changed overnight. Some miracle that had changed things. Something beyond this world. That was right! The secret world! Maybe he could help the others here too!

“Lailah can Mikleo come with us on our adventure today?”

“Mom can I? Can I play with Sorey?”

“As long as it’s not problem for Miss Lailah.” Mikleo’s mom smiles at them. Sorey doesn’t think he’s ever seen her smile this much before in all the times she’s come to visit. 

“Oh no, no problem at all!” Lailah promises. 

“Alright just be back before dinner time Mikleo.” 

Both him and Mikleo nod before he grabs Mikleo’s hand and drags him out the door, “Yay! Come on Mikleo! It’s so cool!”

And it is cool. Mikleo is skeptical of a secret world but once Sorey pulls him through the door he’s in awe. Just like him, Mikleo has read the celestial record. Well they read it together when he used to have bad days and couldn’t even get out of bed. Mikleo would read it to him when he was too weak to hold the book up, too tired to turn the pages, and now he could share the world they knew together with him. It was great! 

Mikleo was able to point out and name a lot more things than he was. He knew the places you could see from the hillside. That the little town was known as Marland. That Ladylake was the was called that because of the history of the lake it was built on. Though he hadn’t heard of Elysia. When Sorey recounted yesterday’s adventure to him Mikleo didn’t believe him. When they brought him up to Elysia though, he suddenly remembered the events that had transpired. 

After that they explore Ladylake. Sorey shows him where he pulled the sword from and they walk around the town. There’s a lot of rumors flying around. One is about that town, Marland which is plagued by a curse that only the maiden warrior of Ladylake, their princess can cure, but no one’s seen her for a long time. All they know is she’ll be identifiable by the pink ribbon in her hair. Then there’s the rumor of the deadly wind striking down criminals in the night. But it’s not only criminals by the law, also those who have wronged others. This deadly judgement only happens when the moon is visible in the night sky. Finally, there’s talk of a dragon. A dragon that resides on the far side of the valley, on the mountain behind Marland. Many have tried to slay it but either they cannot make it up the mountain or they never return. 

They want to go check out any of them but Lailah says its best to wait for tomorrow as it’s later in the day now and they don’t want Mikleo’s mom freaking out that her son is nowhere to be found even though Sorey can’t leave the hospital. So they reluctantly go back. Before Mikleo and Lailah have to leave though they agree to see if Alisha, Rose, or Edna can come with them tomorrow as Lailah would feel better going and trying to help with the rumors if there were more of them.

So he says goodbye to his sister and his best friend for the night and waits for tomorrow to come. If he dreams, he doesn’t remember it by the time he wakes.

 

It’s raining the next day. Edna isn’t here today and Rose isn’t feeling well. So that means only Alisha is available. Which is fine, its not like he doesn’t want to show Alisha the secret world. He just wants all of his friends to be able to see it. 

She’s less skeptical about the secret door to a secret world thing when she actually sees the door. Then once they’re through she’s just as excited as him and Mikleo. Out of all the girls he’d made friends with, Alisha was the one who actually liked to hear about the world from the celestial record. Now they were in it. Today something was different when they walked through the door though, today when they arrived on the other side they were wearing different clothes. He didn’t remember this happening the past two times, but here he was with a strange white cloak around his shoulders over his pants and shirt. Mikleo’s jeans and t-shirt changed into a long blue tunic and white pants. He also now wore a golden band around his head with a green jewel on his forehead. Apparently he had earrings on though so teasing Mikleo about his new bling was pointless because his friend would tease him right back. Lailah wore a red and white dress that was super cool with a golden headband. Alisha wore a pink and white shirt with black shorts. What really stood out though was the long pink ribbon tied around her ponytail and the golden crest on her shirt. 

The rest of them exchange looks while Alisha admires the view from the hilltop before they make their way over to the town. Maybe they could help the people there today, he didn’t know for sure but the pink ribbon and golden crest seemed pretty telling of the mysterious princess. 

They’re correct in their assumptions and as soon as they arrive Alisha is swept off to help the cursed people and Lailah goes with her. That leaves him and Mikleo to explore the surrounding area. There’s not a lot to explore in the town as most of it was quarantined off for the curse that doesn’t seem to be contagious. 

Mikleo went to ask if they could explore the old library while he sits under a large tree. There’s a small bear looking creature hiding behind one of the smaller trees by the old building watching him. He waves at it and it squeals before scampering away. He wonders why it ran when the hairs on the back of his neck stand. There’s something else here.

Slowly he turns away from the building and looks back towards the path back to town. Green streams of wind dance around the path as someone drops down from the foliage in front of him. The man stands up from a crouch, dressed in all black with a black top hat, through his open jacket Sorey can see a green undershirt near the color of the man’s hair. What gets him the most is not the sudden appearance of the man or his attire, it’s the man’s pale green eyes that stare at him without seeing. Back in the hospital Ms. Elize has eyes just like those, she’s blind but she’s not a patient. She comes in once a month and does arts and crafts with them. Sorey likes those days when he’s well enough to go, Ms. Elize is really nice. Maybe this man is really nice too! 

“You there, shrimpy boy, I’m looking for someone. A girl around your height, red hair, blue eyes, goes by the name Rose. Have you seen her?” the man describes his friend who’s currently back in the hospital. He stares dumbfoundead for a second before nodding eagerly, wait the man can’t see.

“Yes! She’s my friend!”

“Where is she?” the man asks, striding forward until he towers over him. Woah, the man’s a lot taller up close. 

“Um, she’s not here, but I can bring her here, tomorrow for sure!”

“Tomorrow huh? Why should I believe you?” 

“Well why should I bring her here? How do I know you’re not a weirdo?” he asks the man. He trusts the stranger but does the man trust him?

“Tch, fair enough kid.” the man gives a mock salute as he turns back around. He pauses before adding, “I’ll be here tomorrow then, tell her, tell Rose, Dezel wants to talk.” 

Then as quick as he came, Dezel is gone. 

He wonders if Rose will believe him.

 

He and Mikleo spend the rest of the afternoon reading books in the old library. There’s ones in languages he doesn’t know, one’s that are so faded you can’t read them, ratty old books, and books with torn pages. They spend most of the time reading the tale of how the first shepherd came to be. A group of people who fought against daemons and gave their lives to rid the world of malevolence long ago. They’re so caught up in the story they don’t even notice when it’s time for them to leave and return to the real world. 

Before they leave Alisha removes her ribbon and ties it around the hilt of his sword. She won’t be back at the hospital until next week but hopes her healing power will stay with him until she returns. He falls asleep not long after returning to the real world. Even though there was no battle today, he’s exhausted. His promise to Dezel to bring Rose is his last thoughts before he falls asleep.

 

_You’re slipping shepherd. You won’t be able to save them all. Even if you do, who will save you?_

 

The next morning him and Mikleo wait in the room with the door while Lailah sneaks Rose in. Lailah was unsure about bringing Rose who hasn’t been feeling well this past week but he’s so convinced she has to come that Lailah caves. When Rose arrives in the room, he tells her of the secret world beyond the door and how a man named Dezel has been looking for her. As soon as he says Dezel, Rose is already halfway across the room. Thankfully she waits for him to enter the door first, falling into step right behind him.

She’s not that amazed by the sight of the secret world or the view from the hillside. She just wants to see Dezel without saying why. None of them pry. They bypass showing Rose around to bring her to Dezel. Sure enough, by the time they arrive, Dezel is already there.

Neither of them speak at first. Simply staring at one another until Rose marches up to Dezel and slaps him across the face, “You jerk! You just left! You stopped visiting! You didn’t write back! You vanished when I needed you most! How could you?”

“Rose I-” Dezel attempts to talk but Rose yells louder. 

“No! I don’t want to hear excuses anymore! Dezel why, why did you just leave me all alone?” her voice breaks at the end, her shoulders shake as she stares at the ground. He wants to go comfort her but both Lailah and Mikleo hold him back from interfering with the other two. 

“Listen Rose I can explain, I didn’t mean to-” 

“Didn’t mean to? You didn’t mean to leave me all alone when I had no one else? You didn’t mean to leave me alone to go through two surgeries and three hospital switches?” Rose yells louder and louder.

“Rose please, I got mixed up with a bad crowd and made stupid mistakes, I’m sorry Rose. I’ve been searching everywhere for you but I couldn’t find you. I’m sorry Rose, I’m so sorry.” Dezel explains, he approaches Rose and tries to pull her in for a hug but she shoves him away.

She looks up at Dezel and screams, “YOU WERE ALL I HAD!” she hiccups as her shoulders shake even harder, “You were all I had aside from my dad Dezel. Then, then you weren’t, you weren’t even there when he died…” 

Their fight is interrupted as Rose tapers off and faints. Lailah surges forward and catches her before she can fully fall, well versed in the art of noticing when someone is going to faint. She looks up at him and Mikleo, he doesn’t like the look on her face. He wasn’t supposed to bring Rose here this was wrong of him, now, now she… 

Mikleo tugs at his hand and pulls him back to reality. They’re running. Both of them rush ahead of Lailah who carries Rose behind them. He thinks he hears Lailah tell Dezel to find them at Zestiria hospital over his heart pounding in his ears but he can’t be sure. Lailah tells them something before the cross back into the real world but he doesn’t hear it. 

Once they’re back in the real world, Mikleo drags him along before he can ask Lailah what she said. They exit the room quickly and march up to the nurse’s station as Mikleo starts yelling for Doctor Mayvin. The man rushes into the wing quickly, not far away to where Lailah has Rose in his room. When had she gotten in there? 

Lailah explains that they were playing together when Rose suddenly fainted. It’s a quick cover story but it works. Rose is rushed away and he’s left confused as to what’s going to happen next. He just wanted to help her. He just wanted to help his friend. Eventually Lailah and Mikleo have to leave. No one has any news on Rose. That night, he meets Dezel in his dreams. 

He tries to speak to Dezel but he can’t he can only listen as Dezel talks, “Hey shrimp. Thanks for bringing Rose to see me. Even if it wasn’t what I ever imagined our reunion would be. I managed to find her in the end though, just in time too. We were both out of time. But now, now she won’t be anymore. I wish I could’ve been there for her more. I wish I hadn’t made the mistakes I made but you can only keep going forward. The winds will only carry you forwards. When you see her again, tell her I’m sorry but now, now I’ll always be with her. Goodbye Sorey, and thank you.”

 

When he wakes up he’s crying. Lailah is at his bedside and merely pulls him into a hug. She asks if he knows what happened with Dezel and Rose and he can only nod. She doesn’t say anything else. Only holds him tight and hums. 

They don’t go to the secret world today.

 

The next morning Mikleo bursts in his room saying Rose is awake. He jumps out of bed to see her. He knows she’s going to be fine now, but they were so close to losing her. He wonders if she knows. If she knows what Dezel did. 

When the enter the room, it’s only Rose in there. She’s awake and sitting up in bed. The room is covered in get well soon gifts from flower to teddy bears to balloons. They must be from her extended family. 

“Rose…” he doesn’t want to ask her. He doesn’t want to make this any more painful than it already is. 

Rose turns away from the window to face them. There’s tear tracks on her face and her eyes are puffy and red. Mikleo is already closing the gap between them and pulling her into a hug before he can even try and think of what to tell her. She merely buries her face in Mikleo’s shoulder and sobs.

It feels like forever until she stops crying. He doesn’t say anything. Neither does Mikleo. When she pulls away and wipes her face with her sleeve. He hands her the water cup that’s on her bedside and doesn’t comment on the way her hands shake when she accepts it from him. He pulls her into a hug once she sets the water down so he can whisper what Dezel told him to her, “He said he’s sorry, but now, now he’ll always be with you.”

That sends her into another crying fit. They don’t say anything. It’s only hands him the tissue box that he realizes he’s crying too. 

Eventually Rose calms down enough to speak again. Her voice raspy and wet from crying so much, “You guys should take Edna with you today. Maybe you can help her brother. I don’t think I’ll be able to go back there anytime soon.” 

Mikleo nods and gives her another hug, “Okay Rose, you just rest.”

He gives her a hug too and they leave the room to go find Edna.

 

They pass Lailah talking to Zaveid in the hallway as they enter Eizen’s room. Lailah nods to them as the go in. Sorey hopes he doesn’t look like he was just crying anymore.

Edna is in her brothers room by his bedside. She doesn’t say anything as they enter. It’s only when they’ve both come to stand behind her that she speaks quietly, “I don’t know how, but Rose said you two could help him. I don’t believe it, but if there’s any possible way I want to try.” 

So they take her to the secret world. It’s surprising but when he just grabs her hand and drags her to the hallway, she grabs Zaveid by the wrist and brings him with too. He wants to ask but then he realizes it doesn’t matter why. If she wants Zaveid to come with he doesn’t have a problem with it. He knows Mikleo and Lailah don’t either. So they ignore Zaveid’s questions and enter the secret world. 

Neither Zaveid or Edna say anything as he leads the group to the mountain. It’s the only thing left that seemed to be around, the dragon on the mountain. He only falters when he can’t see the path through the fog anymore, but Edna grabs his hand and pulls him along. He wonders if she can see the path. She must be able to. She grabs Mikleo with her other hand and Lailah takes his other free hand while ignoring Zaveid grabbing hers. No one says anything about it. They entire trip up the mountain is silent. 

It’s only when they reach the top that Zaveid breaks the silence, “So what are we looking for up here?”

There’s a loud roar nearby and a dragon swoops over the mountain top. Edna walks up next to Zaveid and watches the dragon loop overhead, “That’s what we’re looking for.” 

“You’re kidding me, how are we going to fight a dragon?” Zaveid questions panicked. 

Edna doesn’t answer him. Only stomps her foot causing multiple spikes of earth to pop up under the dragon causing it to turn its attention towards them. Edna is way more calm about magic than he ever was, that’s not fair. Zaveid only manages to sputter as Lailah and Mikleo both launch fire and water at the dragon and he draws his sword. 

Eventually though, Zaveid gathers himself and joins the fight too. It’s a blur really. Even with two new people they fight in near perfect sync. For half the battle he wants to call things out and do something that is at the edge of his mind but he can’t seem to remember it. It would make the fight easier but he doesn’t know what it is so he can’t do it. Without the mysterious thing, the do manage to beat the dragon. He drives his last sword thrust directly into the dragon’s chest. Just like with the last monster, the darkness sweeps away to reveal a familiar person.

Eizen kneels on the ground in front of them. It’s strange to see, he’s only ever seen Eizen lie unconscious in a bed. Never fully awake, alive enough to move and speak. Eizen only smiles at them before he vanishes in a rush of golden light. Zaveid stares at the light until it’s long gone. It’s only when Edna drop kicks him that he seems to snap out of it. Sorey doesn’t even remember climbing down the mountain, only that Edna drags them back down so fast he can feel the wind in his face. 

When they return to the real world Edna books it across the hall to her brother’s room. The rest of them are slow to follow. Zaveid lags behind, as if he’s afraid to go in the room. He gives his sister a worried look but Lailah merely ushers him and Mikleo ahead of her and Zaveid into the room. 

Inside Eizen’s room its a welcoming site compared to the silence that normally exists. Eizen is awake, hugging Edna back with more force than she’s hugging him. They’re fiercely whispering to one another and he’s pretty sure both siblings are crying. A few minutes pass until Lailah shoves Zaveid into the room looking angrily at him. She clears her throat loudly enough that the siblings break up their reunion to look up. He doesn’t understand the nonverbal exchange Zaveid and Eizen have. Edna doesn’t care for it as she grabs Zaveid and pulls him into a group hug. 

He pulls Mikleo and Lailah out of the room with him. This is a reunion for the three of them, they can meet Eizen tomorrow once the doctors learn he’s awake again. He wonders how long it will take them this time.

 

_Congrats Shepherd, you saved all the others. But I’ll ask you once more shepherd, who will save you?_

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sorey doesn’t wake up at his usual time the next morning. Lailah’s been there since earlier than usual, her rare day off from classes and work allowing her the extra free time. She doesn’t think much of it. He must be tired from yesterday’s fight. It’s only when Mikleo, Alisha and Rose show up at the door does she realize somethings wrong. 

They try everything they can think of to wake him up, but nothing works. Edna and Zaveid enter the room not long after. That’s when she remembers there’s still one thing they haven’t tried. Brushing away her tears, she ushers them all to the other room. The door to the secret world is wide open, a black hole. It’s her last hope for Sorey to wake up, so even as Zaveid tries to stop her, she takes a deep breath and steps through the doorway.

The world she ends up in is different from the one she went to with Sorey. There’s no sun. The world is dark and grey. There’s a thick fog covering the valley and the air is chilly. Behind her, Mikleo tumbles out of the doorway with Rose and Alisha following him. Edna and Zaveid come after them. They all try and look into the valley but the fog is too thick. 

Suddenly the air gets colder and the fog seems to come to life around them. Before she even realizes it everyone else is gone and she’s left alone on the hill. A pair of lanterns appear further down the road. One by one pairs light up a pathway down the hill. There doesn’t seem to be anything else to do but follow them. So that’s what she does.

_I’m scared._

_The fog whispers in her ear. It words vary but its all the same message._

_I can’t do this._

_How am I supposed to do this?_

_What do I do know?_

_Will I really be the hero they make me out to be?_

_Will we really be able to win?_

_What if everything goes wrong?_

_I don’t want to fight anymore._

_I didn’t ask for this._

_I didn’t want to lose anyone._

_It’s all my fault._

_I can’t bear this all on my own._

_I’m afraid._

_What if I can’t bear the burden?_

_How are we supposed to do this all on our own?_

_Why does no one seem to care?_

_Why should I do this for them?_

_I’m not a hero._

_I’m not who they say I am._

_I can’t do this._

_I’m so scared._

She keeps following the path. With every whisper she picks up the pace. That’s Sorey speaking to her. That’s her Sorey who’s alone and afraid and feeling like he has to take on the whole world by himself. She blinks back her tears as she breaks into a run down into the valley. The fog shifts and Sorey’s voice fades, but the whispers only get louder.

_it’s the shepherd._

_He’s a hero!_

_He’s going to save us all!_

_He’s not the true shepherd._

_How can he parade around like that lying to us?_

_Who does he think he is?_

_The shepherd? Yeah right._

_He will be the one to save us all._

_Save us shepherd._

_You’re our only hope._

_Only you can stop the malevolence._

_Only you have the power to save us all._

_Only you can be the shepherd._

_Sorey, only you can save the world._

She doesn’t understand the whispers. At least she doesn’t think she does. They’re strange. None of this is real but it’s more real than the rest of her life and she’s so confused but she doesn't stop. Sorey is somewhere nearby. Despite what the whispers say, he’s not alone. She’ll be there with him every step of the way. Whether it’s by his hospital bedside or fighting this malevolence. 

Then just as if it was never there the fog clears. It vanishes from the clearing leaving her in the open field. Once it’s gone she can see the others again. Mikleo is to her left and Alisha to her right. Zaveid stands across from her with Edna and Rose on either side of him. In the middle of all of them, Sorey stands still. 

“Sorey!” Mikleo yells out and runs forward to him, but he’s thrown back by some invisible force. She manages to rush over and catch him before his head hits the ground. They all try and approach Sorey but no one can get through. They try everything, force, magic, speed, words, but nothing gets through to him.

He’s right there! He’s right there suffering and she can’t reach him! She told him he wouldn’t have to do this alone! 

“We have to combine our magic and attacks. Only together we’ll be able to get through.” she doesn’t know why she thinks of it, but the others only nod, eager to try anything to save their friend. 

Rose and Alisha launch the first attack. Rose’s daggers and Alisha’s spear hit the invisible force field. It ripples as it pushes back at them, shaking in the air. They both quickly sidestep as Zaveid and Edna push forward before the force field can recover. Wind and stone fly into the force field all over, making it wobble and crack. Finally, her and Mikleo launch the final attack. A woven stream of fire and water strike the force field. Just like glass it cracks and breaks apart. They both surge forward to catch Sorey as he falls forward to the ground. 

Time passes slowly as she holds his head in her lap, a hand running through his hair. Eventually though he opens his eyes and looks up at her. His voice sounds small and tired, “...Lailah?”

“I’m here Sorey, we all are.” she reassures him, holding his hand. 

Zaveid laughs from over her shoulder, “You really gave us a fright kid.” 

“Don’t do that again Sorey you had me so worried!” Alisha stands over Sorey and glares at him making her brother shrink back into the ground.

“Glad to see you’re okay.” Edna flicks his forehead as he laughs.

“You really scared us Sorey!” Rose scolds him and laughs along with him.

“Sorey you idiot, you had me so scared!” Mikleo has Sorey’s other hand in a death grip.

Edna rolls her eyes at Mikleo, “You really did have him scared I thought Meebo was going to cry.”

“I didn’t say anything when you cried yesterday!” Mikleo yells back at Edna who merely shrugs in response.

“I’m sorry I worried all of you.” Sorey mutters out an apology. She smiles at him and cards her fingers through his hair again.

“It’s okay Sorey.”

He closes his eyes and mutters again, “I’m really tired Lailah.”

She hums, “It’s okay to go to sleep Sorey.”

“But I’m scared.” he sounds so small. It’s been a long time since she heard him like this.

“We’ll protect you Sorey, and I’ll be right by your side until you wake up.” 

He’s already half asleep when he asks, “...Promise?”

She doesn’t even have to think about her answer, “Always Sorey, always.” 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Sorey, Sorey get up already. Come on Sorey, wake up!” someone’s yelling at him but he merely pulls the blanket up over his head and grumbles. 

The blanket is ripped away and he grits his teeth at the light when he opens his eyes, “Wha? Mikleo? It’s so early though.” 

“It’s nearly midday what are you talking about Sorey, the others are already out exploring. Are you feeling okay?” Mikleo puts a hand on his forehead and looks closely at him but backs off when he doesn’t notice anything strange.

Sitting up in bed, he rubs his head, “Yeah, I just had the strangest dream though…”

“What was it about?” Mikleo throws him his cloak and sword which he’s quick to put on with practiced ease. 

As they leave the inn room he grabs his celestial record off the table and pauses to look at it and think, “You know what, I don’t even remember.”


End file.
